It’s not your typical beef stir fry, but my family’s Steak Stir Fry (or Chow Steak Kow, as we called it at the restaurant where I grew up) is delicious and easy to make. Bite-sized steaks of rib eye or sirloin are braised in a soy garlic sauce (with some American twists!) and served atop a bed of crisp bok cabbage.
What is Chow Steak Kow?
Thick slices of sirloin were stir-fried in a brown sauce with a variety of veggies.
We’ve given this old favorite a modern twist by serving huge chunks of marinated sirloin with an addicting Chinese steak sauce on a bed of nutritious stir-fried bok choy.
Mix vegetables like snow peas, peppers, mushrooms, and even broccoli can stand in for the bok choy if you want. Using whatever you have in the fridge is one of the best parts of making meals at home.
What are the Steps to Making the Best Beef Stir Fry?
A superb stir-fry can be made with the help of one of our many guides:
- The steak needs to be marinated, which is a quick and easy process but crucial to the end result. See our guide on preparing beef for stir fry if you want to become an expert and make it second nature.
- The Chow Steak Kow steak sauce in this recipe is versatile and may be used with other beef recipes. See our earlier post on the topic to learn how to make a basic stir-fry sauce that can be used for various dishes. When preparing stir-fried meals, you can save time and effort by using a pre-made sauce with your preferred protein, vegetable, or tofu combination.
- Many people skip the penultimate step, which is thickening the sauce for their stir-fry. Cornstarch is used, and the specifics of its application in Chinese cuisine are elaborated upon here.
Ingredients:
For the Steak and Marinade:
- 1 pound of beef ribeye or sirloin steak (1-inch cubes)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (divided)
- 1 teaspoon of cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt (or to taste)
- 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda
For the Steak Sauce:
- 5 tablespoons of water
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons of soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons of oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon of ketchup
- 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce (optional)
- 1/8 teaspoon of ground white pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon of sesame oil
For the Bok Choy base:
- 12 ounces of cut and thoroughly washed fresh bok choy
- 3-4 slices of smashed fresh ginger
- 3 cloves of chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/8 teaspoon of sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon of MSG
Instructions:
- Some of the fat should be left on the steak cubes when they are cooked. Essential to the dish’s flavor is this. It’s a crucial component in the dish’s overall flavor. It’s a crucial component in the dish’s overall flavor. Add 1 tablespoon of oil, 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to a medium bowl, then stir in the cubes. The steak needs to be tossed until it is evenly coated. The recommended waiting time is between 30 minutes and 1 hour.
- Combine the water, ketchup, Worcestershire, soy, oyster, oyster sauce, white pepper, sesame oil, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Place aside.
- Always wash bok choy before using it. As a rule, we give our bok choy a triple wash before eating it. If you don’t take precautions, sand could end up in your vegetables and damage them.
- Bring wok to a high temperature. Smear one tablespoon of vegetable oil around the rim of the wok, then drop in your smashed ginger pieces right away. Add the garlic and bok choy after 5-10 seconds of cooking.
- In order to prevent the garlic from burning, stir-fry the bok choy until it wilts. If your wok burner isn’t hot enough, cover the bok choy for 30 seconds.
- Cook and wilt the bok choy for about 60 seconds, then season with salt, sugar, and MSG (if using). Thoroughly combine, then set aside on a warm serving platter. While the use of MSG to enhance the flavor of stir-fried veggies is not required, it is highly recommended.
- You’ll want to go swiftly through the following procedures so you can add the steak to your stir-fried bok choy as soon as possible.
- Carefully fill a sink or large bowl with warm water, rinsing the wok before draining and wiping it dry. Reposition the wok over a hot burner. Coat the rim of the wok with half a tablespoon of vegetable oil.
- Add the steak in a single layer while the wok is smoking, with the fatty side down.
- If you want to brown the meat, you only need 30 seconds of searing. Toss everything together with your wok spatula to ensure even frying and browning. However, try not to stir too frequently. To get a good sear and maximize taste, you need to cook at a very high temperature. This steak stir fry recipe calls for huge 1-inch slices of steak since I prefer to sear the steak till cooked medium/medium rare.
- When the steak reaches the desired doneness, remove it from the pan and place it on top of the bok choy.
- You’ll want to use at least a couple of tablespoons of oil left in the wok. Take out the extra liquid and throw it away. This is the real deal regarding beef flavor, and it will elevate the sauce to a whole new level.
- Reheat the wok on a heat setting between medium and high. A prepared steak sauce can be used to deglaze a wok. The sauce can be thinned up with more water; the water from the bok choy plate, which already contains ginger and garlic, is especially delicious.
- The sauce can be thickened by adding the cornstarch slurry while it is cooking; just whisk it up and sprinkle it in until it coats a spoon. Keep it simmering for another 20 seconds to fully cook the cornstarch. Steak with sauce poured over it, and steaming rice served immediately after turning off the heat.